Marco Jansen for PBKS - (Source: AP)
On Sunday, May 17, Punjab Kings hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2026 match 61 at the Dharamshala Stadium. Both teams made several changes to their playing XI. For RCB, Jitesh Sharma walked down the pitch for toss as Rajat Patidar has been ruled out due to injury.
Meanwhile, for Punjab Kings, the Shreyas Iyer-led side have also made a couple of changes. The most notable one is Marco Jansen getting dropped. Notably, the South Africa international will miss his first match of the tournament and the fans are perplexed to see his absence at Dharamshala.
Why Is Marco Jansen Not Playing Today's Match?
Notably, IPL 2026 has not been kind to Marco Jansen. The left-arm all-rounder has struggled with the bat as well as the ball. Talking about his individual performance, Jansen has scored just 51 runs in 5 innings. Further, with the ball, the 26-year-old has just 7 wickets in 11 innings.
Therefore, Marco Jansen's absence against RCB is not due to any injury, but a pure tactical change. Earlier, Jansen's underwhelming performance got ignored as Punjab Kings were doing well and were unbeaten until their 7th game of IPL 2026.
However, at present, things are different as PBKS have lost four straight matches and a tough call was required, which is why Marco Jansen had to face the axe.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Loses Cool In Mumbai Indians' Nets, Gets In Argument With Staff
Who Has Replaced Marco Jansen In PBKS Playing XI?
Interestingly, Punjab Kings have gone ahead with just three overseas players in their playing XI. Lockie Ferguson has returned to the side, while Harpreet Brar has replaced Marco Jansen.
Notably, Azmatullah Omarzai is already in the playing XI and the Afghan star did well in their last match against Mumbai Indians where he scored 38 runs and also picked up two wickets. Therefore, the management decided to go ahead with Azmat in place of Marco Jansen.
Punjab Kings' Playing XI vs RCB
Punjab Kings Playing XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Also Read: Why Is Rajat Patidar Not Playing Today IPL Match And Who Is Captaining RCB?
Punjab Kings IPL 2026 Season Goes Downhill
As mentioned above, Punjab Kings started IPL 2026 on a high and were on top of the table for a long time with five wins in a row. However, things went downhill from the 8th game as PBKS have now lost 4 matches in a row.
At present, Punjab Kings are placed 4th on the table with 13 points in 12 matches. It is a crucial game for the Shreyas Iyer-led side as another defeat will further hamper their qualification scenario as they will then have to rely on other teams results.
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